Method and apparatus for exchanging content over distinct wireless access technologies

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method are disclosed for exchanging content over distinct wireless access technologies. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a multimode access network server (MANS) ( 102 ) having a controller that manages operations of a communications interface that communicates with multimode communication devices (MCDs) in a communication system. The controller can be programmed to receive from an MCD status information associated with a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs), each WAP operating according to a disparate wireless access technology, and determine with the MCD a coordination plan for transmitting partitioned content by way of at least two of the WAPs. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless services, and morespecifically to a method and apparatus for exchanging content overdistinct wireless access technologies.

BACKGROUND

The evolution of wireless communications continues to give rise to newwireless access technologies such as WiMAX, ultra wide band (UWB), andsoftware defined radio (SDR). These and existing wireless technologiessuch as cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth, provide end users of multimodecommunication devices an expansive set of services to choose from anumber of service providers.

A need therefore arises for a method and apparatus to exchange contentover distinct wireless access technologies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of multimode communicationdevices (MCDs) communicating by way of wireless access points (WAPs)with other MCDs and/or a multimode access network server (MANS), whichcollectively operate as a communication system;

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of the MCD;

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary method operating in portions of the MANS,the MCDs; and

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system within which a set of instructions, whenexecuted, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure provide a methodfor exchanging content over distinct wireless access technologies.

In a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a multimode accessnetwork server (MANS) can have a controller that manages operations of acommunications interface that communicates with multimode communicationdevices (MCDs) in a communication system. The controller can beprogrammed to receive from an MCD status information associated with aplurality of wireless access points (WAPs), each WAP operating accordingto a disparate wireless access technology, and determine with the MCD acoordination plan for transmitting partitioned content by way of atleast two of the WAPs.

In a second embodiment of the present disclosure, a multimodecommunication device (MCD) can have a controller that manages operationsof a wireless transceiver that communicates with wireless access points(WAPs) and a multimode access network server (MANS) in a communicationsystem. The controller can be programmed to monitor communicationparameters associated with a plurality of WAPs, each WAP operatingaccording to a dissimilar wireless access technology, transmit to theMANS the communication parameters, and coordinate with the MANS acoordination plan for transmitting partitioned content by way of atleast two of the WAPs.

In a third embodiment of the present disclosure, a multimodecommunication device (MCD) can have a controller that manages operationsof a wireless transceiver that communicates with wireless access points(WAPs) and other MCDs in a communication system. The controller can beprogrammed to monitor communication parameters associated with aplurality of WAPs, each WAP operating according to a distinct wirelessaccess technology, transmit to another MCD the communication parameters,and transmit to the other MCD a strategy for transmitting contentpartitioned among at least two of the WAPs.

In a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readablestorage medium in a multimode access network server (MANS), comprisingcomputer instructions for determining with a multimode communicationdevice (MCD) a coordination plan for partitioning content over two ormore wireless access points (WAPs).

In a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readablestorage medium in a multimode communication device (MCD), comprisingcomputer instructions for communicating to a computing device acoordination plan for partitioning content over two or more wirelessaccess points (WAPs).

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of multimode communicationdevices (MCDs) 116 communicating by way of wireless access points (WAPs)114 with other MCDs and/or a multimode access network server (MANS),which collectively operate as a communication system 100. The MCD 116can represent any common computing device (e.g., a cellular phone orlaptop) capable of communicating wirelessly with more than one WAP 114in the communication system 100 operating according to distinct wirelessaccess technologies.

The WAPs 114 of FIG. 1 depict a number of possible embodiments includinga plurality of cellular base stations supporting wireless voice and/ordata communications in a cellular network 103, and/or one or moreWireless Fidelity (WiFi) access points operating in a commercialenterprise or residence 105. The cellular network 103 can utilizecircuit-switched technology that supports voice and data services suchas GSM-GPRS, EDGE, CDMA-1X, EV/DO, UMTS, and other known and nextgeneration cellular communications technologies.

The cellular network 103 utilizes a frequency-reuse architecture forcommunicating over-the-air with roaming MCDs 116 over an expansive area.The WiFi access points can conform to any one of IEEE's 802.11 presentand next generation protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, n and/or nextgeneration technologies) and can operate individually or in a meshnetwork.

Alternatively, or in combination, other wireless access technologies canbe applied to the present disclosure such as, for example, a WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), ultra wide band (UWB),Bluetooth™, and software defined radio (SDR). SDR provides a means toaccess public and private communication spectrum with any number ofcommunication protocols that can be dynamically downloaded over-the-airto the MCD 116. Other present and future generation wireless accesstechnologies can also be used in the present disclosure.

The communication system 100 can further comprise an IP (InternetProtocol) network 101 that couples the MANS 102 to the MCDs 116 forcarrying Internet traffic therebetween. The MANS 102 comprises acommunications interface 104 that utilizes common technology forcommunicating over an IP interface with the IP network 101, and thecellular network 103. By way of these interfaces, the MANS 102 cancoordinate with the MCDs 116 the transmission of partitioned contentover several WAPs 114 as will be discussed below. The MANS 102 canutilize a memory 106 (such as a high capacity storage medium) embodiedin this illustration as a database, and a controller 108 havingcomputing technology such as a desktop computer, or scalable server forcontrolling operations of the MANS 102.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of the MCD 116. The MCD 116 caninclude short range communications technology in a wireless transceiver202 such as used by cordless phones, or by way of Bluetooth or WiFi tosupport mobility within a small area such as the end user's residence orenterprise. The wireless transceiver 202 can further support mid tolong-range wireless communications with the WAPs 114 by way of cellular,or WiMAX technologies. The MCD 116 preferably supports at least twodistinct wireless access technologies to support mobility. For example,when the MCD 116 is within the premises of the building 105 it canfunction as a plain old telephone service (POTS) device, or a Voice overIP (VoIP) device over an IP network by way of a POTS, WiFi, orBluetooth™ interface. When roaming outside the building 105, the MCDcommunicates over the cellular network 103 or other long-range networkssuch as WiMAX.

Each of the foregoing embodiments for the MCDs 116 can utilize a memory204, an audio system 206, and a controller 208 among other possiblefunctional components. The memory 204 can comprise storage devices suchas RAM, SRAM, DRAM, and/or Flash memories. The memory 204 can beexternal or an integral component of the controller 208. The audiosystem 206 can be utilized for exchanging audible signals with an enduser. The MCD 116 can further include a location determination device205 such as a common global positioning system (GPS) receiver fordetermining a location of the MCD, a display 210 for conveying images tothe end user, a keypad 212 for manipulating operations of the MCD 116,and a portable power supply 213. The audio system 206, the display 210,and the keypad 212 can singly or in combination represent a userinterface (UI) for controlling operations of the MCD 116 as directed bythe end user. The controller 208 can manage the foregoing componentswith computing technology such as a microprocessor and/or digital signalprocessor.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary method 300 operating in portions of the MANS102, and the MCDs 116. Method 300 begins with step 302 in which an MCD116 detects two or more WAPS operating with different wireless accesstechnologies. For example, the MCD 116 may be in the building 105 inwhich it detects a WiFi access point, and continues to have reception tothe cellular network 103. Alternatively, the MCD 116 can detect morethan one cellular network operated by independent service providers. Forexample, depending on the access technologies supported by the MCD 116,it can be programmed to detect multiple GSM networks operatedindependently, a CDMA network and a GSM network, a GSM network and aWiMAX network, a WiMAX network and SDR public and private spectrum, andnumerous other combinations.

Once detected, the MCD 116 can be programmed in step 304 to transmit tothe MANS 102 (or another MCD 116 roaming in the communication system100) status information associated with the WAPs 114 detected. Theperiodicity for transmitting the status information can be defined bythe MCD 116, the MANS 102, or by way of a joint plan defined by the MCDand MANS. A higher frequency for transmitting the status information maybe chosen under circumstances in which the activities of the monitoredWAPs 114 is changing rapidly. For example, suppose the MCD 116 is in alocation that borders multiple WAP cells. The MCD 116 under thesecircumstances may detect changes in signal strength from bordering WAPsthat it has detected. Under these conditions, the MCD 116 can beprogrammed to transmit status information relating to the WAP 114 morefrequently than another WAP in which communications is detected to bestable.

The status information can include among other things a bit error rate(BER), a signal to noise ratio (SNR), a symbol error rate, a frame errorrate, a packet loss rate, a transmission delay, a signal strengthindication (e.g., RSSI—receive signal strength indicator), a speed ofdata transmission, and a speed of data reception. With thesecommunication parameters, the MCD 116 and/or the MANS 102 (or anotherMCD 116) can make an informed decision in step 306 that leads to theformation of a coordination plan for partitioning content among the WAPs114. The coordination plan can take into consideration any aspect of theaforementioned communication parameters and other factors such as costof services for each of the WAPs 114, a time to transmit the partitionedcontent over each WAP to a targeted destination, one or more preferencesfor selecting WAPs supplied by an end user of the MCD 116, one or morepreferences for selecting WAPs supplied by an end user of the MANS 102,or whether the end user of the MCD is roaming or in a home network. Inyet another embodiment, the MANS 102 can receive location informationfrom the MCD 116 for selecting the WAPs 114. In this embodiment the enduser of the MCD 116 may have a preference for example to select aparticular WAP 114 (e.g., a WiFi Access Point in the end user'sresidence or office) according to the end user's location independent ofthe availability of other WAPs in the vicinity of the end user.

Any number of preferences can be established for selecting WAPs 114 froma web portable. The aforementioned preferences, and other preferencessuch as a time of day for selecting WAPs, selecting WAPs according to acontent type, selecting WAPs according to a content source, or selectingWAPs according to one or more communication features of the MCD 116 canbe established by the end user of the MCD 116 or MANS 102 by way of aweb portable. With such preferences, the end user can define a desireduse of WAPs 114 according to content types (e.g., secure content versuspublic content), content sources (e.g., business content versus personalcontent), or according to the communication capabilities/limitations ofthe MCD 116. Moreover, the end user can specify a time profile forselecting WAPs 114 (e.g., certain WAPs for weekdays versus other WAPsfor weekends).

From the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to an artisanwith ordinary skill in the art that the MCD 116 and the MANS 102 cansingly or in combination utilize any coordination model for determiningthe coordination plan.

Once a coordination plan has been determined, the MANS 102 or the MCD116 can proceed to partition content depending on which of the twointends to originate the content in question. If the MANS 102 is theoriginator, it proceeds from step 308 to step 310; otherwise, the MCD116 proceeds to step 318. In the case where the MANS 102 is the sourceof content, the MANS 102 receives the content from a source (e.g., acontent portal identified by the MCD 116) or extracts it from its memoryin step 310. In steps 312-314, the MANS 102 partitions the contentaccording to the coordination plan and transmits the partitions to theMCD 116 by way of the WAPs 114 identified in said plan. The partitionscan be asymmetric for each of the designated WAPs 114. That is, a largerportion of the content can be submitted to one WAP 114 versus anotherdepending on any of the previously mentioned factors such astransmission speed, cost of service, and so on. Additionally, thecoordination plan can identify any partitioning format (e.g., frames,cells, packets, etc.) as well as apply any known or proprietarypartitioning method.

In step 316, the MCD 116 receives the partitions from each of the WAPs114, and reconstructs the content according to a reconstruction plan orstrategy defined in the coordination plan. The reconstruction plan can,for example, identify the expected order of the partitions and a schemefor reconstruction. If the content transmitted is confidential, the MANS102 can utilize interleaving and/or encryption methods to preventunwarranted access to the content. The reconstruction scheme identifiedin the reconstruction plan allows the MCD 116 to deinterleave and/ordecrypt the partitions and thereby construct the content in its originalform.

In situations where the MCD 116 is the originator of the content, theMCD 116 proceeds to step 318 where it receives the content from a sourceor extracts it from its memory. The source as before can be of any kind(e.g., content from a web portal). In steps 320-322, the MCD 116partitions content according to the coordination plan and transmits thepartitions to the MANS 102. The MANS 102 in turn reconstructs thepartitioned content according to a reconstruction plan or strategydefined in the coordination plan and transmits the reconstructed contentto a targeted computing device which can be another MCD 116, or asingle-mode communication device 116 incapable of receiving content overmultiple wireless access technologies (e.g., a GSM-only cell phone).

Alternatively, the MCD 116 can proceed from step 320 to step 326 whereit transmits the partitioned content to a targeted MCD 116 capable ofreceiving the partitions over the WAPs 114 identified in thecoordination plan. The targeted MCD 116 in turn reconstructs thepartitioned content in step 328 according to the reconstruction plan orstrategy defined by the coordination plan. The reconstructed content canthereafter be used by the targeted MCD 116 as directed by its end user.

The content mentioned in the previous embodiments can be of any format.For example, the content can represent a multimedia file (JPEG, MPEG 3or 4, WAV, GIF, etc.). Alternatively, the content can be livecommunications over VoIP, streaming audio or video assuming the speed oftransmission over the alternate WAPs 114 selected and the time requiredto reconstruct the partitions is suitable for such applications.

Method 300 describes a number of embodiments in which partitionedcommunications can take place over disparate wireless accesstechnologies in a number of combinations: MANS 102 to MCD 116, MCD 116to MANS 102 to targeted MCD 116, and MCD 116 to MCD 116. It would beevident to an artisan with ordinary skill in the art that theseembodiments can be modified, reduced, or enhanced without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the claims described below. The reader istherefore directed to the claims for a fuller understanding of thebreadth and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 400 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed above. In some embodiments, the machine operatesas a standalone device. In some embodiments, the machine may beconnected (e.g., using a network) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient user machine in server-client user network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly anyelectronic device that provides voice, video or data communication.Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 400 may include a processor 402 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 404 and a static memory 406, which communicate with each othervia a bus 408. The computer system 400 may further include a videodisplay unit 410 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, asolid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system400 may include an input device 412 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 414 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 416, a signal generationdevice 418 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 420.

The disk drive unit 416 may include a machine-readable medium 422 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 424)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 424may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 404, the static memory 406, and/or within the processor 402during execution thereof by the computer system 400. The main memory 404and the processor 402 also may constitute machine-readable media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containinginstructions 424, or that which receives and executes instructions 424from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a networkenvironment 426 can send or receive voice, video or data, and tocommunicate over the network 426 using the instructions 424. Theinstructions 424 may further be transmitted or received over a network426 via the network interface device 420.

While the machine-readable medium 422 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” shall be takento include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, and/or associated caches or servers) that storethe one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readable medium”shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing,encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure, but excludes carrier wavesignals such as a signal embodying computer instructions in anintangible transmission medium.

The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memorycard or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape; andcarrier wave signals such as a signal embodying computer instructions ina transmission medium; and/or a digital file attachment to e-mail orother self-contained information archive or set of archives isconsidered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storagemedium. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one ormore of a machine-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listedherein and including art-recognized equivalents and successor media, inwhich the software implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.§1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separately claimed subject matter.

1. A multimode access network server (MANS), comprising: a controllerthat manages operations of a communications interface that communicateswith multimode communication devices (MCDs) in a communication system,wherein the controller is programmed to: receive from an MCD statusinformation associated with a plurality of wireless access points(WAPs), each WAP operating according to a disparate wireless accesstechnology; receive from a web portal one or more preferences ofselecting WAPs; determine with the MCD a coordination plan fortransmitting partitioned content by way of at least two of the WAPsaccording to the one or more preferences for selecting WAPs; partitioncontent according to the coordination plan; and transmit the partitionedcontent to the MCD by way of at least two of the WAPs selected accordingto the coordination plan, wherein the one or more preferences compriseat least one among a time of day for selecting WAPs, selecting WAPsaccording to a content type, selecting WAPs according to a contentsource, and selecting WAPs according to one or more communicationfeatures of the MCD.
 2. The MANS of claim 1, wherein the controller isprogrammed to: receive the content from a source; partition the contentaccording to the coordination plan; and transmit to the MCD thepartitions of content by way of the at least two WAPs.
 3. The MANS ofclaim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to: receive partitions ofcontent from the at least two WAPs originated by the MCD; andreconstruct the content from the partitions according to areconstruction plan.
 4. The MANS of claim 3, wherein the controller isprogrammed to transmit the reconstructed content to a computing deviceas directed by the MCD.
 5. The MANS of claim 1, wherein the statusinformation for each of the WAPs comprises at least one among a signalto noise ratio, a symbol error rate, a frame error rate, a packet lossrate, a transmission delay, a signal strength indication, a speed ofdata transmission, and a speed of data reception, and wherein the WAPsoperate according to one among a group of wireless access technologiescomprising cellular, Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi), worldwideinteroperability for microwave access (WiMAX), ultra wide band (UWB),and software defined radio (SDR).
 6. The MANS of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is programmed to determine the coordination plan according toat least one among a cost for transmitting content over each WAP, a timeto transmit the partitioned content over each WAP to a targeteddestination, one or more preferences for selecting WAPs supplied by anend user of the MCD, one or more preferences for selecting WAPs suppliedby an end user of the MANS, whether the end user of the MCD is roamingor in a home network, and one or more monitored conditions of each WAPfor transmitting content wirelessly thereto.
 7. The MANS of claim 1,wherein the controller is programmed to receive a location reading fromthe MCD, and determine the coordination plan there from.
 8. The MANS ofclaim 1, wherein the status information received from the MCD has atransmission periodicity defined by one among the MANS, the MCD, and ajoint plan defined between the MANS and the MCD.
 9. A multimodecommunication device (MCD), comprising: a controller that managesoperations of a wireless transceiver that communicates with wirelessaccess points (WAPs) and a multimode access network server (MANS) in acommunication system, wherein the controller is programmed to: monitorcommunication parameters associated with a plurality of WAPs, each WAPoperating according to a dissimilar wireless access technology; transmitto the MANS the communication parameters; coordinate with the MANS acoordination plan for transmitting partitioned content by way of atleast two of the WAPs according to one or more preferences for selectingWAPs, wherein said one or more preferences is supplied by a web portal;partition content according to the coordination plan responsive a needto transmit said partitioned content to the MANS by way of at least twoof the WAPs selected according to the coordination plan: and reconstructpartitioned content according to the coordination plan responsive toreceiving partitioned content from the MANS by way of at least two ofthe WAPs selected according to the coordination plan, wherein the one ormore preferences comprise at least one among a time of day for selectingWAPs, selecting WAPs according to a content type, selecting WAPsaccording to a content source, and selecting WAPs according to one ormore communication features of the MCD.
 10. The MCD of claim 9, whereinthe controller is programmed to: receive from each of the at least twoWAPs content partitioned by the MANs; and reconstruct the content fromthe partitions according to a strategy.
 11. The MCD of claim 9, whereinthe controller is programmed to: partition the content according to thecoordination plan; and transmit to the MANS the partitions of content byway of the at least two WAPs.
 12. The MCD of claim 11, wherein thecontroller is programmed to receive the content from one among a source,and a memory managed by the controller.
 13. The MCD of claim 11, whereinthe controller is programmed to transmit to the MANS an identificationof a computing device for which the content is directed.
 14. The MCD ofclaim 9, wherein the status information for each of the WAPs comprisesat least one among a symbol error rate, a frame error rate, a packetloss rate, a transmission delay, a signal strength indication, a speedof data transmission, and a speed of data reception.
 15. The MCD ofclaim 9, comprising a location determination device, wherein thecontroller is programmed to: determine a location of the MCD; and supplythe location to the MANs for determining the coordination plan.
 16. Amultimode communication device (MCD), comprising: a controller thatmanages operations of a wireless transceiver that communicates withwireless access points (WAPs) and other MCDs in a communication system,wherein the controller is programmed to: monitor communicationparameters associated with a plurality of WAPs, each WAP operatingaccording to a distinct wireless access technology; transmit to anotherMCD the communication parameters; communicate to the other MCD acoordination plan transmitting content partitioned among at least two ofthe WAPs that use disparate wireless access technologies; receive fromeach of the at least two WAPs content partitioned by the other MCD; andreconstruct the content from the partitions according to the strategy,wherein the coordination plan operates according to one or morepreferences for selecting WAPS, wherein the one or more preferencescomprise at least one among a time of day for selecting WAPs, selectingWAPs according to a content type, selecting WAPs according to a contentsource, and selecting WAPs according to one or more communicationfeatures of at least one of the MCDs.
 17. The MCD of claim 16, whereinthe controller is programmed to: partition the content according to thestrategy; and transmit to the other MCD the partitions of content by wayof the at least two WAPs.
 18. The MCD of claim 17, wherein thecontroller is programmed to receive the content from one among a source,and a memory managed by the controller.
 19. The MCD of claim 16, whereinthe status information for each of the WAPs comprises at least one amonga bit error rate (BER), a symbol error rate, a frame error rate, apacket loss rate, a transmission delay, a signal strength indication, aspeed of data transmission, and a speed of data reception, wherein theWAPs operate according to one among a group of wireless accesstechnologies comprising cellular, Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi),worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), ultra wide band(UWB), and software defined radio (SDR), and wherein the controller isprogrammed to determine the strategy according to a usage cost for eachof the WAPs, and a portion of the communication parameters.
 20. Acomputer-readable storage medium in a multimode access network server(MANS), comprising computer instructions to: receive from an MCD statusinformation associated with a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs,each WAP operating according to a disparate wireless access technology;receive from a web portal one or more preferences for selecting WAPs;determine with the MCD a coordination plan for transmitting partitionedcontent by way of at least two of the WAPs according to the one or morepreferences for selecting WAPs; partition content according to thecoordination plan; and transmit the partitioned content to the MCD byway of at least two of the WAPs selected according to the coordinationplan, wherein the one or more preferences comprise at least one among atime of day for selecting WAPs, selecting WAPs according to a contenttype, selecting WAPs according to a content source, and selecting WAPsaccording to one or more communication features of the MCD.
 21. Acomputer-readable storage medium in a multimode communication device(MCD), comprising computer instructions to: monitor communicationparameters associated with a plurality of WAPs, each WAP operatingaccording to a dissimilar wireless access technology; transmit to theMANS the communication parameters; coordinate with the MANS acoordination plan for transmitting partitioned content by way of atleast two of the WAPs according to one or more preferences for selectingWAPs, wherein said one or more preferences is supplied by a web portal;partition content according to the coordination plan responsive a needto transmit said partitioned content to the MANS by way of at least twoof the WAPs selected according to the coordination plan; and reconstructpartitioned content according to the coordination plan responsive toreceiving partitioned content from the MANS by way of at least two ofthe WAPs selected according to the coordination plan, wherein the one ormore preferences comprise at least one among a time of day for selectingWAPs, selecting WAPs according to a content type, selecting WAPsaccording to a content source, and selecting WAPs according to one ormore communication features of the MCD.